Preventing Cyber Attacks Amidst COVID-19 Panic

The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 amongst the human race has now paved its way into the virtual world. While people are opting for measures to maintain social distancing during the lockdown tenure, certain hackers around us are exploiting this crisis. Prompt individuals and organizations fulfilling their duties by working online have become prime targets for cyber attackers. There is an upsurge in cyber attacks like Malware and phishing, as COVID- 19 has become an asset for emotionally extorting the users.

A study by Google has noted an explosion in phishing emails recently, leading to them blocking more than 10 Million hoax emails each day. These emails are ably drafted to look authentic and imitate authorities like the WHO, various Government Authorities & NGOs. All such emails circumnavigate around the emotional connection with the pandemic situation like asking for donations, selling counterfeit face masks, and providing links to applications that would infect your devices with viruses and ransomware. In order, to prevent succumbing to such cyber-attacks and the release of sensitive data, certain measures can be adopted by an organization for itself and its employees.

Cyber security is one of the greatest assets for a successful business. With an increase in technology, its importance is prevalent in almost every sector of life. Cyber security is important as it reduces the chances of data leak and thus lowering the cost involved in retrieving it thereby assisting in smooth running of a business. Considering the following importance, cyber security is highly recommended so as to minimize the risk of cyber attacks. Corporations can extend their security protocols for remote workers by enabling VPN and assisting it with SIEM software solution for Logging and Monitoring. Further, various IT Service Management Solutions can be used to detect unauthorized access and alterations to various IT resources. Information Security – Compliance Head, can keep a check on the security policies and even implement new ones if needed for better security.

An organization can further implement the following to ensure complete cyber security for their employees –

Make use of a VPN

Adopt Multi-factor Authentication

Set up Firewall

Install Internet Security Software

Make sure to secure your home network.

Beware of fraud mails and applications.

Use applications like ‘Signal’ for encrypted communication

Make use of genuine Windows installed by OEM to prevent keystroke logging.

Implementation of IT Solutions and developing a proper framework in an organization along with quarterly assessments etc. should also be done. Insulating with multiple levels of safety will only further protect an organization from the emerging cyber attacks.